RUBLEV COLOURSWATERCOLORS

Made like the watercolors used by past watercolor masters.

Rublev Colours Watercolors are made with the same pigments used by watercolor masters of the 17th to 19th centuries. The colors are genuine single pigment paints available individually in tubes and cakes.

We make Rublev Colours Watercolors in small batches using gum arabic and sugar syrup, which were the basic ingredients in watercolors of past centuries. There are no other additives to alter the characteristics of each color. Rublev Colours Watercolors do not contain fillers to extend colors, dispersants to disperse and granulate pigments and brighteners to intensify colors. Rather, each color is crafted to develop its unique character so they behave much the same as the colors of past masters.

Permanence

Most Rublev Colours Water­colors are rated I or II, according to ASTM lightfastness standard, showing little or no change in watercolors. Those of lightfastness III category may be sufficiently lightfast if they are provided with extra protection from UV light.

Staining

Staining is the characteristic that makes color difficult to remove from paper after it has been applied. Less staining colors can be removed almost entirely when wet or when rewetted and then lifted with a clean, wet brush and blotted up with a paper towel. Staining depends in large part on the paper and the particle size of the pigment. Staining is increased by the use of dispersants, because they act to embed pigment particles in the fibers of paper, dulling the finished color. While most brands of watercolors contain dispersants, Rublev Colours Watercolors do not; so staining is minimized.

Granulation

Granulation is the appearance of visible pigment particles in the applied color, especially when the paint is diluted and applied with a wet brush.

Flocculation

Flocculation is the clumping together of pigment particles, typical of some colors, such as lapis lazuli. Both granulation and flocculation create subtle effects as the paint dries and are considered desirable by accomplished watercolorists. The trend in commercial watercolors is to suppress pigment textures in favor of homogeneous washes of color. Many of the pigments used in Rublev Colours Watercolors are composed of large particles and produce granulation effects naturally without the use of additives.